Media Contact:

Adopted dog, Kane, poses with his new family, the Millers. Kane took the ride of his life aboard the PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® vehicle from Tenn. to Wis. (Scott Boehm/AP Images).
Adopted dog, Kane, looks content in his new home in Milwaukee, Wis. Kane traveled cross-country through the PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® program to find his forever home (Scott Boehm/AP Images).
Chance Ray, drives the PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® vehicle up to 3,000 miles each week to transport dogs and puppies across the country to find their forever homes.

PHOENIX, October 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — We are a nation of pet lovers, yet sadly, four million adoptable cats and dogs are euthanized every year simply because there are not enough homes. In an inspiring new documentary, “The Journey Home: A Rescue Waggin’® Story,” PetSmart Charities depicts how its Rescue Waggin’ program is working to change this statistic by giving adoptable dogs and puppies a second chance at life.

The film tells the uplifting story of two homeless dogs, Izzy, a shepherd-chow mix, and Kane, a hound, on what was literally the ride of their lives from the streets of Chattanooga, Tenn. to a shelter in Milwaukee, Wis. where the dogs found their forever homes.

“The day I met Izzy, she immediately jumped into my lap. There’s an emotional bond you develop with a dog; we have the perfect chemistry, and to have a dog in your life is a way of life,” said Jim Kelly, who adopted Izzy.

As for Kane, his new owner says she fell in love after just one look into his big brown eyes. “Kane was born hundreds of miles away, but he’s now part of our family. To be able to provide a home to a rescue dog is very important and good for our souls,” said Heather Miller.

The Rescue Waggin’ program has saved more than 60,000 dogs and puppies since 2004 by moving dogs and puppies from communities with more pets than adopters to communities where adoptable pets are in demand. The Rescue Waggin’ vehicle travels up to 3,000 miles a week to transport pets to places where they get adopted, often within days.

“The Rescue Waggin’ is an extension of our adoption program and unites animal shelters from across the nation in an effort to avoid euthanizing healthy, adoptable dogs,” said Steve Pawlowski, media relations manager, PetSmart Charities, Inc. “We created this film to show the world how our Rescue Waggin’ program gives pets like Izzy and Kane a second chance. They are just two of the more than 400,000 pets we save every year.”

PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin’ program has not only helped save the lives of thousands of pets but also helps many shelters improve their operations through spay/neuter programs, grants and mentoring. To learn about the many ways PetSmart Charities is saving the lives of homeless pets, visit www.petsmartcharities.org. Members of the public can support this and other programs by making a donation online, by email at gifts@petsmartcharities.org or via phone at 1-800-745-9460 to help save the lives of homeless pets across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

The Rescue Waggin’ program is proudly sponsored by Blue Buffalo® and Sergeant’s Pet Care Products.